The refurbishment, which involves redecorating the beachfront hotel’s 296 rooms, is part of multibillion-THB rolling renovation program, which includes technology upgrades, that is due to finish in 2018, said general manager Denis Richter. “The big hotel renovation scheme is to serve changing tourist demand as demand as the Hua Hin hotel industry gets both more competitive and exciting, with new hotels and condominiums popping up,” Mr Richter said. The US hotel chain has been on the cutting edge of hotel modernisation, with digital check-in and other technology upgrades set to be available next year at most of its hotels worldwide.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is working to promote the destination among Thais, while the Pacific Asia Travel Association is pushing Hua Hin among the conference, convention and exhibition markets. Mr Richter said better infrastructure linking it with other destinations, especially Pattaya, could further drive tourism in Hua Hin. Increased flight frequency and a high-speed train to Hua Hin are expected in the coming years. “If we can have more flights to Hua Hin, it will create a nice flow and boost accessibility for tourists. The future seaside [ferry service] between Hua Hin and Pattaya will also create new and interesting tourism routes” he added. Mr Richter said the tourism industry had fully recovered and will continue to grow this year.

Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa did well last year with occupancy rates in line with the industry average. The Thai Hotel Association said the average hotel occupancy rate in Hua Hin was 60-70% in the first quarter. This prompted Hilton Worldwide to develop more hotels in Thailand. It now manages eight properties in the country under the Hilton, DoubleTree and Conrad labels. The hotel chain aims to double its hotel portfolio in Asia-Pacific over the next five years, up from 150 hotels as of March 31. Currently, 269 new hotels are under development in the region. Bangkok Post.

Hua Hin Today is a monthly, principally English language newspaper, published in Hua Hin, Thailand. The paper was established in 2003. The paper is distributed throughout the Provinces of Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan with a focus on the towns of Hua Hin, Cha-Am and Pranburi. It is the only English language newspaper in this region.